Terran
The Terrans '''(or '''humans) are one of the most influential and controversial races on Sigil Prima. Their role in shaping the modern political landscape of the planet is not to be understated. Nearly four thousand years ago, terrans arrived from the Distant Lands onto the west coast of future Doria and expanded as far east as southern Orcia and as far south as eastern Arthesia, laying the groundwork for human colonization. Several human empires have risen and fallen since their arrival, affecting not only the land itself, but the races that inhabited them. The most notable of these empires was founded by Korrin d'Orian, who united the eight tribes of pre-Imperial Doria after the fall of the Sophic empire. The Empire of Doria still stands to modern day, though without an emperor to rule them. Introduction Though they have shorter lifespans than many of the other races of Sigil Prima, terrans strive to make themselves both seen and heard in the time that is given to them. Their presence on each of the continents speaks to the tenacity of the terran spirit. With this tenacity comes the appearance of callousness and, in many cases, it is not simply appearance. It is a well-known saying among the fey that terrans "have holes in their hearts that can never be filled," and will not stop conquering until the entirety of Sigil Prima is theirs. Their conquering spirit has led mankind into many wars over the previous four thousand years, both with their own kind and with other races. The most recent conflict, The Long War, lasted just under three centuries before the mysterious annihilation of Eastern Prothidoria brought active combat to a halt. The once united Empire of Doria now stands as eight sovereign nations, each ready to return to war to claim the Golden Throne of Reignhold as theirs. History The Terran Exodus Four thousand years before the end of The Long War, the Terran Exodus from the Distant Lands began. No one is certain what led to the departure. The first Terran settlers arrived on the west coast of Doria and expanded eastward and south across the continent. Within two hundred years of their arrival, Terrans established settlements across the lands of Doria, Orcia, and Arthesia. The five major tribes of the Aesir - the Kjor, the Gjor, the Hunn, the Knecht, and the Prothus - settled into Northern Doria, laying the groundwork for the future Empire of the Nine Kingdoms of Doria. In Southern Doria and Northern Arthesia, the six major tribes of the Medes - the Anube, the Haru, the Isas, the Methis, the Sulis, and the Thanes - established settlements around the coast of the Naiad Sea. Further south, the three major tribes of the Sudas - the Arthes, the Anbaundi, and the Osares - claimed their place among the dense jungles and expansive savannas of Southern Arthesia beneath the Ring of Fire. East of the Honor's End Mountains, the four tribes of the Quin - the Qinsheng, the Quansheng, the Yesheng, and the Zhousheng - made their home in Eastern Orcia. The Quan Rao Empire In 1648 BD, the Zhousheng invaded the Qinsheng territory in southwestern Orcia. The four tribes descended into war. When the bloodshed was over, the Quansheng had conquered much of Eastern Orcia, with only the nomadic Yesheng remaining defiantly unsubdued. The Celestial Empire of Quan Rao is established. Seven hundred years later, the orcs arrived on Orcia from the Distant Lands. The orcs proceeded to raze several of the kingdoms of Quan Rao, beginning the First Vengeance War. Emperor Ying Zheng, a powerful sorcerer, summoned a massive mountain range, known as the Impossible Wall, around the last remaining remnants of the once mighty Celestial Empire, sealing Quan Rao from the rest of Sigil Prima for centuries and forcing an abrupt end to the Vengeance War. The few remaining Terrans caught outside the Impossible Wall joined the nomadic Yesheng, eventually becoming the modern Dayesheng raiders who terrorize Central Orcia to this day. Arthesia The Great Wyrm Aido-Hwedo, an exile from the Ring of Fire, arrived in Southern Arthesia and quickly enslaved the Anbaundi, the Arthes, and the Osares, establishing herself as a living god. After a hundred years of slavery, the Eight Heroes of Athes slew Aido-Hewdo. A year later, the Eight Heroes united the fragmented tribes and founded the Enlightened Kingdoms of Kemet Athes and the Anbaund Savannah in the southern regions of Arthesia. Khashayar I, the King of All Kings, united the northeastern tribes of Arthesia. The Kurus Anebes (or the Nebian Empire) is established in Kemet Anebes. The Sopha Empire overseeing the construction of his mighty empire.]] Formation and Rise The prophet Rushud Nethi, former vizier of Khashayar XII, united the northern tribes of Arthesia in 431 BD. Under this unification, the Kurus Sopha (or the Sopharaohic Empire) rose in Kemet Isas. Over the next hundred years, the borders expanded north into southern Doria. Khebenhotep Duathotep II, the Blood Sun Pharaoh King of Sopha, declared in 42 BD that he had devised a daring new method of attaining eternal life, thereby "conquering death itself." However, this ritual had disastrous results, transforming his court into monstrous being, and unleashing a horrific plague of undeath upon the surrounding kingdom. Driven mad with grief and shame, Duathotep II proclaimed himself the Pharaoh God Khebenhotep, vowing to transform the world into an empire of the undying. Khebenhotep's former First Shield Veles Dach led a rebellion against the vampiric tyrant. A year after Khebenhotep transcended his mortal existence, Veles confronted him at his stronghold in northern Koridor. Both perished in the confrontation. Sopha spiraled into an immediate unrest. The House of Sulin, a powerful merchant family for Kemet Isas, rallied the cities of Southern Doria, seceded from the Kurus Sopha, and established the Empire of Sulinoria. The Empire of Doria Korrin the Conqueror During that time, the northern tribes were experiencing their own time of change. A young man of the Kjor clan, Korrin, defeated his father Uthur da'Kjor, in a duel, thereby unifying the tribes of the Jotenheimr Lowlands under his rule. Korrin was declared king of the new Kingdom of Doria. The Blood War The kingdom of Doria expanded quickly under Korrin's rule. This would bring them into direct contention with Sulinoria, who also sought to expand their empire. That clash would give rise to the Blood Wars. Korrin approached Sethi d'Isad, the King (Khopesh Khash) of Deathless Sopha, about a potential alliance against Sulinoria. d'Isad, an immortal, had not forgotten about Sulinoria's quick secession after Khebenhotep's demise, and Sopha agreed to the alliance with Doria. The Sopha Empire was renamed Isadoria as a sign of loyalty between the two peoples. The combined forces proved too much for Sulinoria, prompting their unconditional surrender at Korrin's feet. The Empire of Sulinoria was disbanded and the Blood Wars ended. Formation of Imperial Doria Korrin reorganized his kingdom into The Empire of Doria. The Kingdoms of Thanidoria, Sulinoria, Mithidoria, Goridoria, Koridoria, Prothidoria, Lhelidoria, and Hunidoria are established. The names and placement of these kingdoms honored the tribes who originally settled these lands and helped him rise to power, with the notable exceptions of Sulinoria and Lhelidoria (named for the Lhellyen elves). He chose Reignhold, the sacred tower of the rakshasa in Koridoria, as the seat of his new empire. Biology Terrans are a robust people who, over time, have evolved a wide variety of appearances often based on their native region. In Northern Doria, the Terran ethnic group known as Aesirians tend to have blond, brown, or red hair with pale to fair skin and blue or green eyes. The Terrans of Southern Doria and Northern Arthesia, known as the Mederian ethnic group, possess black, brown, and red hair with fair to olive skin and green or hazel eyes. Due to the harsh nature of the deserts and jungles, the ethnic Terrans, known as the Sudasians, in Southern Arthesia developed black or brown hair with tan to dark brown skin and brown or hazel eyes. In Orcia, the ethnic Quinians develop black and brown hair with black or brown eyes and light or dusty skin. The exception to this are the Dayesheng, who are known to sometimes possess red hair, hazel or green eyes, and tan skin. The barbaric tribes of Teillyen, known as Telians, often possess black, grey, or white hair with brown or hazel eyes and a rich tan skin tone. The males of the species grow to about 6' to 6'6" and the females 5'6" to 6' in height. An average Terran pregnancy lasts a little over four months (280 days). Terrans reach adulthood at 16 years old, enter elderly status at age 80, and have been known to reach upwards of 160 years of age. Culture A singular Terran society, by its very nature, does not exist. For example, the valiant noble society of Lhelidoria bears almost no resemblance to that of the wild Dayesheng. This dichotomy speaks to the very heart of Terran nature: adaptability. Not only can their cultures vary greatly from region to region, but they have also integrated into fey and beastfolk societies as well. Faith The primary faith of Terrans is The Eightfold Faith or some cultural variation of it. The second largest religion in Doria are The Primal Laws. Dorians who follow the Primal Way believe the Eight Gods are the champions of the four speakers, combining the Primal Laws with the Eightfold Faith. Arthesians believe the Gods themselves follow The Creed and are the greatest example of how to follow the Creed. In Orcia, the Dayesheng believe that the Mighty Ancestors are the Eight Gods. In keeping with the fey tradition of their homeland, Telians believe the Kami of The Harmonious Way are the pets of the Eight Gods. Languages The primary language of all Terrans is Imperial, a hybrid language developed to simply trade between Doria, Arthesia, and Quinria. This is in addition to regional dialects. * Dorians - Zunge * Arthesians - Sophio * Quinians - Yanyu * Telians - Tetani They are also capable of understanding and speaking the languages of other creatures and races, given proper study. Names Terran children are named at birth, often by one or both parents. * Male Names: Arric, Edwain, Dunn, Michiel * Female Names: Junel, Ilene, Maximilia, Vasilisa The surnames of Terrans across Sigil Prima will often reflect their birth status within their specific family line with specific prefixes. For example, under Dorian nomenclature: * d' = first of their name * ir' = heir of * su' = adopted * ser' = bastard Terran marriages are acknowledged by hyphening the names of the two parties. Both parties do not hyphen their surnames however, as the hyphen is only applied to the partner from the lesser family. The partner from the greater family possess no hyphen and retains only their original surname. The distinction between the greater and lesser families are traditionally determined by personal property, monetary savings, and capital wealth. The birth status prefix, if any, is always attached to the original family surname. Any children produced from the marriage adopt the surname of the greater family. The only exception to these rules are bastards of greater families. A bastard is always considered the lesser family, even if the family is, in fact, of higher status. * Structure of Married Name: (Given Name) (Any Prefix) (Surname of Original Family) - (Surname of Marriage Family). Relations As a whole, the Terrans have a hostile relationship with the other races of Sigil Prima. Terrans believe they are destined to inherit the planet, and that all lesser races' place is beneath their heel. However, the other races have proved difficult to pacify or exterminate, leading the Terrans to develop a more isolationist stance. Terrans enslaved the Kinder and the Giants as well as many of the beastfolk. Feys are mostly killed on sight or all but enslaved (for example: the Rakshasa or the Doppelgangers). All others the Terrans are either ignorant of or have enslaved with their latest weapon: economics. Almost institutionally, the Terrans were the first race to collectively weaponize finance and trade, exploiting the inherent greed of the other races as a means to destabilize entire societies. Because of their inherent versatility, Terrans have all but mastered every method of enslavement and oppression, be it warfare, diplomacy, magic, economics, or agriculture. Even their architecture invokes dominance and tyranny. To a Terran, the other races' slow innovation and lack of global expansion shows that they alone are superior. They alone have conquered the world. They alone mastered magic, technology, and warfare. They alone have risen from the ashes of oblivion time and time again. Even on friendly terms, Terrans find most races tediously slow, boorishly pompous, inadequately weak, or profoundly backwards. 'Dwarves: '''While the Dwarves inherently distrust all outsiders, they are perhaps the most amiable of the fey races to the Terran. Terrans work with dwarves, as opposed to enslaving them, for a few key reasons. They are the most humanoid like fey race. Esson, Duergia, and Secodia are too powerful to outright conquer. Dwarves are too honourable and too greedy to break trade treatise. Just because they do not place them in chains does not mean the Terran do not view the dwarves as slaves. They simply see them as a specialized Kinder: a small person designed for banking, mining, and fighting other fey. That the Dwarves work with the Terran willingly is a bonus. 'Elves: 'Most Terrans are terrified of elves. They tempt mortals, lure them to terrible fates, or they just summon terrible monsters to wipe whole cities. 'Orcs: '''Orcs are the only race on Sigil Prima that the Terran see as equals. Despite their rough demeanor and brutal culture, the Terran sense a commonality with the Orcs. The Orcs have proven time and again to be just as capable, versatile, and robust as the Terrans. This makes them the ultimate enemy. Category:Races Category:Humanoids